Plazas
Streetsblog Basics
Corona Plaza: A Community Gathering Place Rises in Queens
Something special is happening in Corona, Queens. Last week, Streetfilms visited Corona Plaza -- the city's newest car-free space, next to the 103rd Street stop on the 7 train -- and found it already packed with families, children, and shoppers.
August 30, 2012
Eyes on the Street: The Weekend Scene at Corona Plaza
It hasn't been open a week yet, and Corona Plaza is already a popular gathering spot. In the next few days, Streetfilms will be posting a video about the new plaza featuring Council Member Julissa Ferreras. In the meantime, enjoy some more photos of the plaza getting lots of use over the weekend courtesy of Clarence. "It was almost like a mini Summer Streets," he said.
August 28, 2012
Astoria Gets a One-Day Plaza Demo as Community Board Vote Approaches
Facing a small but influential opposition to a permanent plaza in Astoria, DOT installed a one-day demonstration on Saturday to give neighborhood residents a sneak peak of how the street could be transformed. The demo, a first for DOT, was installed before Queens Community Board 1 votes on the proposal on September 11.
August 27, 2012
Eyes on the Street: First Signs of the New Corona Plaza
A pedestrian plaza that garnered support from local business, a unanimous vote at Queens Community Board 4 in June, and the backing of City Council Member Julissa Ferreras is being installed in Corona. The project is on the site of a service road that functioned as a parking lot for moving trucks. Now the space is host to planters and movable chairs, where people are already relaxing. Installation should be complete in the next few days. Later this year, DOT will meet with community members to evaluate the plaza. If the project gets a thumbs-up, DOT will begin working on a long-term redesign.
August 22, 2012
Eyes on the Street: The Not-So-Barren Jackson Heights Plaza
Business owners in Jackson Heights have done more than just take over maintenance of the plaza on 37th Road. They've rechristened it "Diversity Plaza," and they staged a community celebration that concluded on Monday to mark Eid-ul-Fitr, the breaking of fast at the end of Muslim holy month Ramadan. It seems the plaza was anything but empty that night. Eid Mubarak to all!
August 22, 2012
Jackson Heights Turnaround: Business Owners Will Help Maintain Plaza
A group of business owners who decried the 37th Road pedestrian plaza in Jackson Heights after it opened have come around and launched a group to act as stewards of the new public space. This turn of events comes after persistent work by Council Member Danny Dromm’s office and local merchants, who are now working together to ensure the plaza is a long-term success. The plaza's undeniable popularity as a gathering place also hasn't hurt.
August 20, 2012
Eyes on the Street: New and Improved Allen Street Bikeway and Plazas
The construction barriers are down and the tables and chairs are out on Allen Street in Chinatown. While there's still some planting and other work left to be done, the public spaces are already magnets for people. The median bikeway on the three-block stretch between Hester and Delancey is also open and rideable again.
August 8, 2012
Data-Free Times Story on Blind Pedestrians Slights All Who Walk NYC
As with any thriving metropolis, the New York streetscape is constantly changing. Whether related to sidewalk and street repair, utility maintenance or building construction, obstacles emerge and disappear around the clock, often leaving changes in their wake, in every corner of the city.
July 30, 2012
NYC’s Hottest Commercial Districts Are Awash in Livable Streets
Which parts of Manhattan have seen the healthiest commercial real estate markets since the economic collapse of 2008? It's the Meatpacking District and the area around Broadway between Union and Herald Squares, according to a new report by broker Janet Liff [PDF], covered by Crain's last week. Notably, says Liff, both of those neighborhoods have received significant improvements to their streets, adding more public space and increasing safety for walking and biking.
July 10, 2012